Mitchell awarded Soldier’s Medal

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, Feb. 15, 2013) – Staff Sgt. Tyrone A. Mitchell, sat on the stage Feb. 13, in U.S. John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School’s auditorium with Lt. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, the commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and other high-ranking Soldiers.

The reason that Mitchell, 8th Military Information Support Battalion, was sitting with such distinguished Soldiers was to receive the Soldier’s Medal.

Mitchell was awarded the medal for his actions on May 20, 2012, when, while heading to the store in Spring Lake, N.C., he saw an overturned vehicle on the side of the road. He pulled off the road and went to assess the situation. He noticed that the driver of the car was unconscious and that there was a haze in the car.

Not knowing if it was smoke was from a fire or just the remnants of debris from the airbag being deployed, he told a passerby to phone in for help and rushed to the car. With no regard to his own life, he broke the rear glass of the car and climbed in and pulled the driver out to safety. By the time he got her out, emergency personal arrived. The driver survived the accident. During his rescue, Mitchell received several lacerations and abrasions.

Mitchell was humbled by the award and said it was just something that anybody would react to in that situation.

“I don’t think you really think about it that much when you see a situation and you know that someone else needs help,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t think about it, I just reacted.”

“At the end of the day, any service member, if they were in the same situation, would’ve done the exact same thing,” he added. “You feel as if you’re a public servant; you serve the people of the United States. If you see someone in trouble, either in uniform or out of uniform, you feel that you have to try to do something to help them or keep them out of harm’s way.”

Cleveland gave praise to Mitchell’s actions and said that his heroic deed embodies what the Army is all about.

“You may be called upon to do actions that may be seen by others as brave, as heroic,” he said. “It is part of the organization that we joined. It is a part of the ethos of the community that we are part of.”

Mitchell’s supervisor, Capt. Nicholas Ennis said that what he did was second nature to Mitchell.

“He just shrugged his shoulders and did what he had to do,” Ennis said. “That speaks volumes to his character and his humility. He is everything that’s right with the NCO (non-commissioned officer) corps, everything that is right with the Army. He is everything that’s right as being a human being. He is one of the most phenomenal NCOs I have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

The Soldier’s Medal was introduced in 1926The medal is awarded to any person of the Armed Forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States, distinguished himself or herself by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy. It is the highest honor a Soldier can receive for an act of valor in a non-combat situation and is equaled to the Distinguished Service Cross.